Page 41 - Blade (February 2020)

KEEN BENEFACTORS |

using
own
his
Lucas
Lucas Burnley had been using his own vehicle to transport
Burnley
to
transport
had
vehicle
been
oys
purchases
for
T
his purchases for Toys for Tots until the organization surprisedsurprised
his
ots
T
until
the
organization
for
for
U.S.
volunteers—all
arranging
by
for
T
oys
T
him
him by arranging for Toys for Tots volunteers—all U.S.
ots
Marines—to carry the toys in three 26-foot U-Haul trucks.
Marines—to carry the toys in three 26-foot U-Haul trucks.
women battling all types of cancers, and Chokwe model—a new version of the through a stack of papers, trying to
Parkinson’s has taken so many of our great, Chokwe is coming out—helped an explain all the auctions his knife company,
iconic knifemakers. When the knives are organization called Keep a Child Alive, Emerson Knives Inc., has spearheaded over
being designed, a charity often just seems which raises funds for AIDS research. the past few years. “It’s tough, but we just do
to fit the knife, and the thought and timing Spyderco also donates a variation of it,” he said. “It’s never been something we’ve
are there.” its Native 5 to members of the military tracked or made a big deal of.”
Asforknifemakersperhapsconsidering on deployment through a monthly Every year, the company runs two
their own fundraising work, Laituri said lottery—a practice the company started or three auctions on its website—but it
it has to start from the heart—a desire to in the aftermath of 9/11. never pulls a knife off the shelf. Rather,
be compassionate. “I don’t think Spyderco would want to Emerson “dresses it up” by engraving the
Over the years, Spyderco has necessarily share specific figures,” Laituri knife, hand-grinding the blade or turning
supported several different charitable said of the company’s dollar donations out a custom creation. The kind of money
effortswithassortedknives.Oneexample to charity, “but I can tell you it is in the each auction brings in varies. Some raffles
is a Spyderco Delica that helped raise hundreds of thousands.” might fetch $1,200, others 10 times that
funds for the National Law Enforcement amount. However, in order to draw interest
Officer Museum Foundation. Some GIVING BACK in the auction, Emerson typically picks a
proceeds from the now-discontinued Knifemaker Ernest Emerson ruffled popular knife design. Each one has its own
Over the years Emerson Knives, Inc., has donated
proceeds from knife auctions to many worthy causes,
including the proceeds raised from this CQC-6 for the
Twin Towers Survivors Fund.

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